


An English Werewolf in Santa Barbara

by moondragon23



Category: Psych
Genre: Drama, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Werewolves, some sex but not a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 21:30:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2826761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondragon23/pseuds/moondragon23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A run in with a crazed gang member puts Shawn in a hairy situation. As he struggles to deal with the changes happening to him, he finds himself in the middle of a war between two rival werewolf packs. As the fighting escalates, he'll be forced to join a side in order to keep his friends and family safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redwolffclaw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redwolffclaw/gifts).



> I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. 
> 
> I'm trying not to post WIPs any more because of how long I've been taking to finish them. This story is an exception because it is a birthday/Christmas gift for my wonderful friend and beta Redwolffclaw. I really hope you enjoy it.

Shawn gasped as he ran down the street after the suspect, clutching a stitch in his side. Man, he was out of shape. Maybe he should take Jules up on joining her for her morning runs. Then again, that would require getting up at an ungodly early hour. He should start small, taking a short walk every day after lunch. Yeah, that sounded more reasonable.

“Stop! Police!”

Up ahead, Lassiter and Juliet were closing in on the suspect. Eddie Baker, long time gang member and now murderer, had led them on a long chase through downtown already. Shawn wondered how he wasn't a gasping, sweating mess like himself. “Gus, remind me – to ask – this guy – how he got into – such good – shape,” he gasped out between breaths.

Gus, who was running along beside him and not breathing nearly as hard (the jerk), shook his head. “I'm not asking a murderer for workout tips.” He glanced over at Shawn. “You could try cutting out the extra churro.”

“You had – four – too,” Shawn protested. He didn't have any extra air left to argue further and decided instead to concentrate all his energy on catching up with Lassiter and Juliet.

Baker darted between a couple of women and past a tourist place selling souvenirs, knocking one of the displays over behind him. Juliet, who had to dart around the women, didn't see the obstacle until she was tripping over it.

“Jules!” Shawn put on a burst of speed to catch up with his fallen girlfriend.

By the time he got there, Lassiter was already pulling her to her feet and looking around for their murder suspect. “Where the hell did he go?” He pulled out his radio. “Did anyone see where Baker went?”

“Negative. No sign of him,” was the crackled response.

“Son of a bitch!” Lassiter cursed, shoving the radio back onto his belt.

Shawn stopped, bending over as he struggled to catch his breath. “You – okay – Jules?”

“Yeah, Shawn, I'm fine,” she said, looking at him worriedly. “Are _you_ okay?”

Shawn waved at her. “Just a little – out of – breath.”

“He's not in great shape,” Gus said, panting next to him.

Shawn forced himself to straighten up to glare at him. As he did, movement further down the street caught his attention. Taking a couple steps to the left, he saw Baker stand up from where he had been crouched behind a garbage can and dart down an alley. “He's over there!” he shouted and forced his tired body to resume the chase.

“Spencer!” Lassiter called, chasing after him.

Shawn pointed down the street. “This alley opens – around the – corner.”

Luckily, he didn't need to say more. Lassiter waved to O'Hara. “This way! We'll cut him off!”

The two detectives veered off, leaving Shawn and Gus to follow Baker into the alley.

“Is this a good idea?” Gus asked nervously as they ran.

“No,” Shawn panted back. “But we can't – let him – get away.”

Up ahead, their alley met with another one running along the back of the stores. A fence to their left blocked the way, forcing them and Baker to the right. As the turned the corner, they could see Baker ahead of them. He was already almost to the street.

“Damn, he's fast,” Gus said.

Juliet and Lassiter came into view and both immediately pulled their guns. “Stop! Keep your hands where I can see!” Lassiter shouted.

Baker came to a halt, glaring at the detectives and letting loose a low growl. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides and he crouched down as if preparing to attack.

Shawn and Gus came to a stop a few yards away. “Dude, he's not crazy enough to take on two cops with guns, is he?” Gus asked incredulously.

Baker turned his head sharply, looking back at the two of them. He glanced at the two cops slowly advancing on him, then turned to face them.

“Uh, oh,” Gus said, slowly starting to back away.

Baker let loose a snarl and headed straight for them. Apparently, he saw Shawn and Gus as the lesser threat and as such easier to get past.

Gus immediately shrieked and ducked behind the nearest dumpster. Shawn tried to run, but his legs were rubbery from the long chase and he stumbled. Someone fired, the shot glancing off Baker's shoulder before he was on top of Shawn.

They fell to the alley floor. Shawn had hoped Baker would keep running now that he had taken Shawn down but apparently the crazed killer still saw Shawn as a threat. Baker's head jerked forward, teeth snapping way too close to Shawn's left ear. He put up his arms to fend off another attack and screamed when Baker sunk his teeth into his right forearm. He drew his knee up and hit Baker in a very vulnerable spot but the man barely reacted. He punched Baker in the side and that at least earned him a grunt. Baker grabbed his free arm and pinned it to the ground and dug his teeth deeper into him.

He screamed again, struggling to get free. Blood was dripping down his arm and onto his face and he shook his head to clear his vision. Baker's eyes had a weird yellowish sheen to them and Shawn swore his teeth looked longer and sharper than normal.

“Shawn!”

“Spencer!”

“Jules! Lassie! Get him off me,” Shawn cried.

Lassiter and Juliet each grabbed an arm but Baker refused to let go. It wasn't until Lassiter placed the gun against his head that Baker finally spit it his arm.

Shawn quickly scrambled backwards out of the way as Lassiter and Juliet pinned Baker to the ground. Baker continued to struggle as Lassiter forced him into handcuffs. “Stay down,” he ordered as Juliet cautiously pulled back. Baker continued to fight so Lassiter passed off his radio and stayed on top of him, physically holding him down. “Get back up over here now.” He glanced over at Shawn. “And call an ambulance.”

Shawn leaned back against the alley wall, cradling his injured arm carefully against his chest. “It's safe to come out now, Gus,” he called out.

Gus cautiously emerged from behind the dumpster, giving Baker and Lassiter a wide berth as he walked over to Shawn. He froze when he got a good look at him. “You're bleeding.”

“Thanks, I hadn't noticed,” Shawn said irritably.

Juliet crouched down next to him. “The ambulance will be here in five minutes. Can I see your arm?” He carefully extended it towards her and Juliet winced. “He really did a number on you.” She looked up into his eyes, studying his face carefully. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Just my pride,” Shawn said. He leaned his head back against the alley wall and fought the urge to cry. _Man up, Shawn. Do_ _ **not**_ _cry in front of Juliet. Wait until later to bawl like a little girl._

Sirens sounded from the end of the alley and Shawn opened his eyes to see two officers rushing toward him. “It's about time,” Lassiter snapped, climbing off Baker so the two officers could get to him. “Get him in a squad car and down to the station.” As the officers each grabbed an arm, he cautioned them, “Watch out, he bites. Just ask Spencer.”

“We can handle it,” the female officer said, though her partner eyed Baker warily. She looked over at Shawn, glancing at his arm, then up at his face. Something in her gaze made him feel uneasy, like a bug under a microscope. When she turned away, he let out a small sigh of relief.

Lassiter walked over to him. “Well, Spencer, I hope you're happy. Your interference is going to mean an extra three hours of paperwork.”

“Carlton, he's hurt,” Juliet rebuked, glaring at him.

Lassiter glanced at his arm and winced. “He wouldn't have gotten hurt if he had stayed back like he was told.”

“If he had, we might not have caught Baker,” Juliet argued.

Lassiter grimaced, as if the idea they needed Shawn's help was uncomfortable. “At least his arm wouldn't look like raw meat and I wouldn't have to explain to the Chief how I let him get hurt again.”

“Guys, I'm right here,” Shawn interrupted. “Can we just agree it was a stupid move and yell at me later?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Juliet said, gently touching the side of his face. She glared at her partner.

Lassiter sighed. “Fine. But once you're out of the hospital, don't expect me to go easy on you.” He nodded toward the entrance to the alley. “I'm going to make sure they can handle Baker.”

The sound of more sirens approaching heralded the arrival of what Shawn hoped was the ambulance. His prayers were answered when a medic hurried down the alley towards them. She crouched down at his side and gave him a friendly smile. “Hello Shawn, long time no see. What happened this time?” She hissed in sympathy when she saw his arm.

“You know, same old same old,” Shawn said, gritting his teeth as she carefully examined his arm. “Got in a fight with a guy who thought he was an attack dog.”

“I'd say more like a wolf.” She grinned at his confused expression. “You know, like a werewolf?”

“Is that really possible?” Gus asked cautiously, standing far enough back he couldn't see any blood.

“Of course not,” Juliet said dismissively. She watched the medic studying Shawn's arm. “How bad is it, Susan?”

“The human mouth is a filthy place and this guy really tore into his arm good,” Susan said with a frown. Her partner crouched down next to her with the first aid kit. “About time, Jeff. I need gauze and some roller bandages. We need to bandage his arm as best we can before we take him to the hospital.”

“Do I have to?” Shawn asked reluctantly. He hated hospitals and as bad as his arm looked, he had been hoping they could just clean it up and send him off.

Susan gave him a sympathetic look. “You're going to need stitches and the wounds need to be cleaned to prevent infection. You don't want your arm falling off, do you?”

Shawn swallowed nervously. “No?”

Juliet grabbed some gauze and gently wiped the blood off Shawn’s face. “You'll be fine, Shawn.”

Susan tied off the last bandage and threw the leftover supplies back in the kit. “Who’s going with him?”

Shawn looked pleadingly at Juliet. “I can't,” she said. “I have to help Carlton with Baker and see if we can get any information from him. We know he didn't act alone.”

Shawn sighed. “Will you come get me later?”

Juliet smiled. “Of course.”

“I'll go with him,” Gus said. He had moved closer once most of the blood had been cleaned up and was looking at Shawn worriedly.

“Oh, sure, now you'll stand by me,” Shawn said acidly. “Where were you when Baker was gnawing my arm off?”

“Not becoming a human chew toy,” Gus said. “That guy wouldn't back off until Lassie had a gun to his head. Do you really think I could have done anything?”

Shawn sighed. He hated when Gus got all logical. “No.” Juliet helped him to his feet and he held out his good fist. “We good?”

Gus bumped his fist. “We're good.”

“O'Hara, let's go!” Lassiter called from the entrance to the alley.

“I'll call you when I'm on my way over,” Juliet said, giving him a quick kiss.

Susan and Jeff led him slowly out of the alley. Now that his arm had been somewhat treated, the rest of his body was starting to chime in. He was incredibly stiff, both from the running and being tackled by a 180 pound psycho on drugs.

He glanced around at the small crowd held back behind the police cars. Man, people would stop and gawk at anything. His gaze was drawn past the crowd to an older man and young women standing on the steps of an apartment building. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling they were different than the rest of the crowd milling around the alley entrance.

“Do you want me to call your dad?” Gus asked.

Shawn turned to him in astonishment. “Are you kidding? That is the last thing I want. All he's going to do is yell at me for being irresponsible and try to get the Chief to ban me from cases for a while.”

“He's going to find out eventually,” Gus said.

“Yes, which means I won't have to deal with him now when I'm sore and don't even have any nice drugs to make his words sound all fuzzy.” Shawn stared at the back of the ambulance and sighed. It wasn't that far a step up but he wasn't sure he could lift his leg that high.

“Need help?” Susan asked. When he nodded, she climbed into the back and reached down to help pull him up. “Settle on the cot and I'll get you belted in.”

Shawn laid back, letting her do her work. A glance around the interior showed several changes since the last time he had ridden in this particular ambulance. And even given his near eidetic memory, it was depressing that he noticed. “Will you use the siren?”

“Only if we need to.” Susan rolled her eyes at Shawn's pout. “Sorry, but your injury isn't life threatening. Maybe next time.”

“Don't jinx it,” Gus muttered, sitting next to his friend.

Susan closed the doors and her partner started to drive. Shawn winced as they hit a bump and it jostled his arm. “Thanks for coming with me,” he said quietly.

“That's what friends do,” Gus said, entirely too innocently.

Shawn narrowed his eyes. “You just want to hit on the hot nurses.”

Gus thumbed the side of his nose. “You know that's right. Someone has to capitalize on your injury with the ladies.”

“I have a girlfriend,” Shawn reminded him. “Who I’m sure will be very attentive to me the next few days.”

Susan shook her head. “You two are both horrible.”

Shawn grinned, then gasped when they hit another bump and pain burned through his arm. “Gus, remind me to wear arm guards next time we chase after a suspect.”

“Or we could leave chasing them to the police,” Gus suggested hopefully.

“Come on, son. The cops would have lost him without us.” Though privately, Shawn wasn’t opposed to letting the police take the lead for a while, at least until his arm healed. It was throbbing hard enough now he could almost hear it. He laid his head back and shut his eyes. “So what’s your plan for the nurses?”

Gus immediately launched into his complicated plan to gain sympathy, and hopefully some phone numbers, from the nurses for Shawn’s plight. Shawn listened, providing tips now and then, and even Susan chimed in a couple times. It provided a much needed distraction from the pain and once again he was grateful to have Gus for a friend. Maybe later, once he was on drugs he could blame, he would remember to tell him that.

* * *

 

Admiral and Minx had followed the chase from a distant. They circled around instead of going down the alley, following the cops instead of the two men chasing their pack mate. When the cops entered the alley, they hung back and listened.

Admiral could hear someone yelling and the sounds of a struggle. When one of the cops radioed for backup to help subdue their suspect, Minx sighed. “They got Eddie.”

Admiral shrugged. “He was becoming too much of a liability with the drug use.”

“The boss still isn't going to be happy,” she said.

He winced. “No, he isn't.”

Two cops cars screeched to a halt near the alley and Admiral could hear the distant sirens of an ambulance coming closer. The two kept their distance as a couple of the cops stayed on the street to keep the crowd back as the rest went down the alley to help their comrades. They found a good vantage point a little further down the street on the steps of an apartment building; far enough away the cops were unlikely to notice them but close enough to see what was going on with their above average eye sight.

Eddie was soon led out of the alley in handcuffs, struggling as he was forced into the back of a cop car. Admiral watched as one cop walked off while the other glanced around casually and pulled out her cell phone.

His lip curled in disgust. “Filthy traitor.”

Minx glanced at him. “Don't even think of starting something. There are too many humans around with guns. All they'll see is another crazy gang member attacking a cop.”

Admiral glared at her. “I'm not stupid. Unlike Eddie, I know how to wait and attack when I have the advantage.”

“Good.” Minx turned back to the scene. “I don't want to lose another pack mate today.”

The ambulance arrived and a medic jogged quickly down the alley. Her partner grabbed a first aid kit and followed after her.

“Looks like someone got hurt,” Minx commented.

Admiral snorted. “I'm not surprised with how wasted Eddie is. We're lucky he didn't kill anyone or change on the street.”

“He wasn't so out of control he would do that,” Minx said, though with a hint of uncertainty.

Admiral didn't say anything. A few minutes later, the medics reappeared, leading a brown-haired man slowly to the ambulance. Another darker skinned man was following behind but he didn't appear to be injured.

The first man glanced around at the crowd, then looked past it to where they were standing. He stared at them, then turned away as his friend said something.

Admiral frowned. It was unusual for a human to pick them out so easily. He looked the man over, eyes narrowing as he focused on his arm. “Minx, your eyes are better than mine. Look at his arm.”

Minx studied the man for a moment before her eyes widened. “You don't think he was bite, do you?”

“I can't tell with the bandage on.” The man was loaded into the ambulance along with his friend and they headed off to the hospital. “Follow them. Find out who he is and how he was hurt.”

Minx nodded. “On it.” She slipped away from his side and disappeared into the crowd. A minute later she passed by in a gray Honda.

Admiral watched as the car holding Eddie left. Another car pulled up and the two cops who had been chasing Eddie got into it. The last pair of cops stayed, working on dispersing the crowd.

Admiral left too, having seen everything he needed to. He would need to report back to the boss about what happened and get in touch with Sniffer. Once Minx got him a name, Sniffer could get all the information they needed on this potential new player on the field.

* * *

Officer Rosalee Monroe shoved Eddie into the back of the car. He snarled at her, snapping his teeth. “Calm down,” she ordered, putting a touch of command into her voice. He growled quietly but settled back into the seat.

Her partner, Officer Ethan Douglas, looked at her over the top of the car and raised an eyebrow. “He's a feisty one, ain't he?”

“Probably high on something,” Rosalee said, having smelt the bitter tang of drugs in Eddie's scent. The fact that the moon was full tonight wasn't helping matters either. She hoped he wouldn’t lose control and change. That would be disastrous for both sides.

“Douglas!” Lassiter called, glaring from the entrance to the alley.

Ethan grimaced. “I better go find out what his high and mighty lordship wants.”

Rosalee's phone vibrated in her pocket. “Just don't let him hear you call him that.” She waited until her partner was out of sight and glanced around casually. Nobody was paying much attention to her. She slipped her cell phone of her pocket and glanced at the text.

_**What's the situation?** _

_**Contained. No exposure.**_ she replied.

_**Any complications?** _

She watched the medics pull up and hurry down the alley. _**One. Someone bit.**_

_**Did Eddie change?** _

She glanced inside the car. Eddie appeared human right now though the scent of wolf was strong around him. _**If he did, then not fully.**_

_**Keep me posted. Watch for any signs of infection.** _

“Yes, sir,” she murmured. She took a deep breath, freezing when she caught a whiff of another wolf. She tilted her head slightly and used her peripheral vision as much as possible. There, on the steps of the apartment building. They were probably a couple of members of Eddie's pack.

Ethan came back over to the car. “His lordship has given us permission to go.”

Rosalee grinned. “One of these days, he's going to find out you call him that. I just hope I'm out of the line of fire when he does.”

“I'm not suicidal; I only call him that among people who won't report it back to him,” Ethan said.

Rosalee saw the medics lead Spencer out of the alley towards the ambulance. “Do you know how bad he was hurt?” she asked, nodding towards them.

Ethan turned to look. “Bad enough it made Lassiter grouchy,” he said. “He hates having to do the extra paperwork.”

Rosalee shook her head. For a human, her partner could be very unobservant. Lassiter had a grudging respect for Spencer and saw him as part of the team. He hated when anyone he felt responsible for got hurt, even if he tried to cover it up. Judging by how worried Lassiter had smelt the last time Spencer got hurt, she would almost call them friends.

Once the ambulance left, she slapped the roof of the car. “Let's get going before Lassie has something else to complain about.”

“And you call me suicidal,” Ethan muttered, getting into the car. “If he hears you call him that, he'll murder you.”

Eddie snarled at them. Rosalee fought the urge to snarl back. “Pipe down!” she shouted instead. She grinned at her partner. “I watch who I say things around too.”

As they pulled out, they passed the apartment building, now with only one person on the steps. She would have to find the time later to update her Alpha about them. If Spencer had indeed been infected, they would have to move quickly to get to him before the others did. She did not want to lose a potential new ally to those raving animals.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

“I will cut open your belly and feast on your entrails!”

Lassiter grimaced. He had received many threats in his years as a police officer but this one was more graphic then he was used to. “And how exactly to you plan to do that cuffed to a chair?”

Baker snarled and tugged on his chains. The cuffs he had originally been in had been quickly replaced with the sturdier manacles and chains soon after he entered the station. Somehow, he had managed to snap the cuffs and tried to attack a suspect in a B & E. They had barely been able to restrain him a second time. Whatever drugs he was on was making him much stronger than he had any right to be.

On the positive side, the B & E suspect had cracked right away when the arresting officer threatened to put him in a holding cell with Baker.

“Do you really think you should antagonize him like that?” O’Hara asked quietly.

“We haven’t been able to get anything out of him so far,” Lassiter answered quietly back. “Maybe if gets angry enough, he’ll let something slip.” He stood up and braced his hands on the table. “Look, you low-life scum. We have your DNA all over the victim’s body. You attacked a police consultant in front of two officers. You’re going away for a long time. Tell us who was with you and maybe we can make it so your life won’t be a living hell.”

Baker spat at him. “I would never betray my pack mates.”

It was an odd thing to call his fellow gang members. Maybe their leader had some kind of cult thing going on. That would just be perfect; he hated fanatics. “Your friends weren’t much help when we were chasing you down.” Lassiter smirked. “In fact, it’s almost like they left you to the wolves.”

That got more of a reaction than he was expecting. Lassiter took a startled step back as Baker lunged forward with a snarl, pulling on the chains hard enough the chair frame started to bend. “You don’t know anything about wolves. But you will, when my pack mates come to free me and tear out your throat in revenge. I’ll laugh while you’re bleeding out on the floor.” He threw his head up and howled at the ceiling.

The sound raised the hairs on the back of Lassiter’s neck and he fought to contain a shiver. “This is a waste of time,” he said, forcing his tone to sound bored. He deliberated turned his back on Baker, hiding his discomfort, and walked to the door. “Johnson, take him back to his holding cell and keep an eye on him.” He watched the officer walk over to Baker, who was starting to snarl again, and jerked his head at O’Hara. “Let’s go.”

As they headed back upstairs, O’Hara called to McNab. “Johnson might need some help with Baker,” she said, glancing towards the interrogation room.

“Sure thing, detective,” McNab said, giving her a grin before hurrying down the hallway.

They were both big, sturdy men. Even so, Lassiter hoped the two of them would be enough to restrain the psycho.

“That could have gone better,” O’Hara said when they reached his desk.

“Your approach didn’t work either,” Lassiter grumbled. Baker had ignored his partner, besides some disturbing comments about how she smelled. That may have contributed to his eagerness to take the tough cop approach.

“What should we do now?”

“We’re not going to be able to get anything from Baker until he comes down off whatever he’s high on,” Lassiter said. “You might as well head over to the hospital to check on Spencer.”

“Are you sure?” O’Hara asked. “I can try another search in the database. Maybe this time something will pop up.” He admired her for trying to be helpful but her tone and body language betrayed how much she wanted to leave.

“Go on. You’re no use to me if your mind’s on him instead of your work.” He sat down at his desk and opened the case file. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”

O’Hara hugged him, pulling away before he could protest. “Thanks Carlton.” She hurried over to her desk to grab her coat and keys. “I’ll let you know how he is,” she said as she rushed out the door.

Lassiter shook his head. He didn’t like Spencer much but he hoped the consultant wasn’t too badly hurt. This case was tricky enough without O’Hara being distracted. Not that he wouldn’t be the same if Marlowe was injured but he needed his partner at her best. And if he was being completely honest, they probably needed Spencer’s help as well.

Lassiter frowned. They had found the body of a young woman in a park near her house. She had been beaten, raped and had her throat ripped out by some kind of large canine. This was the fourth such attack this month and the first one with a DNA match. Eddie Baker had been in the system already for vandalism and assault but the other three DNA traces found on the bodies came up with no matches. They suspected it was the work of a new gang in the area, the Lupins.

After Baker’s comments earlier, he realized they were probably right. The Latin name for wolf was Canis lupis and it was likely what the gang name was derived from. Baker must have ditched the Aces and joined the new big bad group in town.

He just hoped his other hunch about it being some kind of cult was not also proven correct.

“Detective!” McNab ran up to him, his face pale. “Baker’s dead.”

“What?” Lassiter hurried down to the holding cells with McNab trailing behind him. He stopped short when he entered the room and slowly walked to Baker’s cell.

Baker was lying on the ground, eyes staring sightless upward, face contorted in rage. The line around his neck and the red spots in his eyes showed that he had been strangled.

Lassiter turned on Officer Johnson. “You were supposed to be watching him! Where the hell were you?”

“I only left the room for five minutes,” Johnson stammered. “Everything was fine, I swear.”

Lassiter turned away before he gave in to his urge to punch him. Freaking idiot. Baker was their only lead on these murders and now they had nothing. “McNab,” he barked. “Put the station on lockdown. The killer could still be in here.” He was a hit with a strong sense of déjà vu and hoped they weren’t looking at another murder committed by a cop. At least this time he wasn’t a suspect.

He exited the room and saw a crowd of officers already forming. “Ramirez, I want you to stand guard here. No one is to enter until forensics goes over the room.”

“Yes sir!”

“The rest of you, we are going to sweep this station from top to bottom.” He assigned groups to each area of the station and sent them out to search. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. This was a complete disaster.

“Sir?”

Lassiter glared at Johnson, getting a vicious pleasure when he wilted under his gaze. “You had better have a good excuse for why a murder suspect was killed on your watch.” He cut him off with a wave of his hand before he could talk. “Wait in Interrogation Room A until I have time to deal with you.”

Johnson swallowed nervously and nodded before scurrying off down the hallway.

Procedure said Johnson was a suspect and Lassiter should have a guard assigned to watch him. His instincts and years of experience told him Johnson was innocent, of the murder at least. He was definitely guilty of leaving his post while on duty but it would be up to the Chief to decide on his punishment.

Lassiter groaned. He would have to call Vick about this and she would not be happy. He pulled out his phone, debating whether he should call her now or what until the search was done.

“Lassiter!” Dobson waved from the end of the hallway. “We found something!”

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and hurried over to him. Dobson led him towards the morgue, then took a sharp left. “Over here.” Dobson pointed to where Morris was guarding the open emergency exit.

Lassiter stepped cautiously out the door, making sure not to touch anything. The door opened onto the rear of the building, on the far edge of the parking lot. A small patch of trees separated them from the neighboring buildings and provided the perfect cover for a getaway.

“Stupid to have left that there,” he muttered. If he was Chief, he would have made sure there was an unobstructed view surrounding the station on all sides in case of just this situation. Looking up, he spotted a security camera pointed at the door. At least they had gotten that right.

“Have someone pull the security footage from this camera and the holding cells,” he told Dobson. “Hopefully, we caught the killer on one of them.”

Dobson nodded. “We also found this.” He led Lassiter a few steps towards the woods and pointed to something on the ground.

Lassiter took a pencil from inside his jacket and crouched down. He carefully lifted the edge of the piece of wire. “Looks like piano wire.”

“Commonly used for strangulations,” Dobson pointed out.

Lassiter stood. “Get forensics out here to check for clues once they’re done with the holding cell.” They headed back into the building where Morris was waiting. “Make sure nobody disturbs the scene until forensics gets here,” he told him.

“Yes sir.”

Lassiter sighed as he headed back upstairs. “Time to call Vick?” Dobson asked.

Lassiter glared at him. “Didn’t I give you an order?”

Dobson gave him a consoling pat on the back and headed for the security room.

Officers came up to him, giving negative reports of their searches of the building. He left Anderson in charge of collecting the reports. He was pretty sure the suspect had already escaped but he wouldn’t lift the lock down until everyone had reported in.

He retreated to the Chief’s office and closed the door. Time to face the music. He took out his phone and dialed.

“Chief. We have a problem.”

* * *

Juliet entered the ER and went up to the front desk. “Hi, I’m here to see a patient,” she said, showing her badge. “Shawn Spencer?”

“Let’s see.” She studied her computer screen. “Oh, you mean that Shawn. He’s such a sweet guy. The doctor’s in with him now, room 5.”

The girl seemed to be new; Juliet hadn’t seen her before on previous ER visits for her boyfriend. She was constantly amazed by how quickly Shawn made friends. “Thank you.”

Walking down the hallway, she found the room easily, Shawn’s voice echoing out into the hall. “Ow! Not so tight.”

Entering the room, she found the doctor bandaging up Shawn’s arm. Gus was standing next to his friend, pointedly not looking at the blood soaked bandages on the tray in front of the doctor.

Shawn smiled when she entered. “Jules! You’re here!”

She took in the slightly glassy look to his eyes and his exuberant smile. “How are the pain meds?”

Shawn’s smile widened. “Very nice. Ow!” He jerked his arm away from the doctor. “At least they are when Dr. Pokes-A-Lot isn’t jabbing my poor arm.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t here early,” Gus muttered. “He was singing while the doctor stitched his arm.”

Juliet raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“ _Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found and I’m hungry like the wolf_ ,” Shawn sang loudly. Gus elbowed him in the side. “Ow! Why is everybody hurting me today?”

The doctor finished taping Shawn’s bandage and stood to face her. “Detective, I’m Dr. O’Brien,” he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I understand you were present when Shawn was attacked.”

It was something she would never forget. Shawn had started screaming and her insides had frozen; she had been terrified she was going to lose him. When Carlton had held the gun to Baker’s head, part of her hoped he would be forced to shoot him. She forced all those emotions down and kept a neutral expression on her face. “Yes, I was.”

“Shawn told me a human bit his arm?” he asked.

She suppressed the mental image of Baker’s teeth digging into Shawn’s flesh, blooding dripping down his arm. “That’s right,” she said slowly.

The doctor frowned. “The wound has more aspects of a canine’s bite pattern than a human’s. Some of the punctures are almost an inch deep. Did the man have any unusual dental work?”

Juliet shook her head. “Not that I saw. Will that effect how you treat him?”

“The wounds themselves, no. But if it was an animal bite, I would recommend getting a rabies shot.”

“Trust me, doc, this guy was human,” Shawn assured him. “Crazy and on drugs, but human.”

“You never know, he could have been rabid,” Gus said. “There have been several rabid animals in Santa Barbara County in the past several years and the guy was part of a street gang. Maybe he was acting so crazy because he was infected.”

“There has never been a documented case of rabies being transmitted from human to human through a bite,” the doctor said. “Though I will have your blood tested for any other transmittable diseases to be safe.”

“More needles?” Shawn asked nervously. Her boyfriend really didn’t like pointy things.

The doctor shook his head. “We already took a sample earlier. We should have enough.”

Shawn sighed in relief. “Good. So can I go now?”

The doctor glanced at Juliet. “You’re running a slight fever. I would like to keep you overnight to make sure you’re not developing an infection.”

“Do I have to?” Shawn whined.

The doctor looked again at Juliet. “If you have someone to watch you tonight in case your fever gets worse, I can give you a course of oral antibiotics.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” she promised.

“Cool! Hey Gus, guess what?” Shawn asked excitedly.

Gus sighed. “What?”

Shawn threw out his arms. “ _Well I’m hot-blooded, check it and see. I’ve got a fever of a hundred and three._ ”

Gus groaned. “Not again Shawn.”

“I’ll get started on his discharge papers,” the doctor said, beating a hasty retreat.

Juliet’s phone started to ring. Glancing at it, she saw it was Carlton. “I’ll be right back,” she told Shawn, stepping out into the relatively quiet hallway to take the call. “Hey, Carlton.”

Shawn’s voice echoed loudly into the hallway as he reached the chorus until Gus quieted him down.

_“What was **that**?_ ”

“Shawn. The pain meds are putting him in a singing mood. They stitched up his arm and are giving him a dose of antibiotics to prevent infection. The doctor’s getting the discharge papers now, then I’m taking him home.”

“ _Good_ , _good,_ ” Carlton said, sounding distracted.

Juliet frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“ _Baker’s dead._ ”

“What do you mean, he’s dead?” A passing nurse gave her a reproving look and she lowered her voice. “How?”

“ _Someone snuck in and strangled him in his cell.”_

She felt guilty for leaving when she did but realistically knew her presence at the station wouldn’t have prevented Baker’s death. “Do you want me to come in?”

Carlton sighed. “ _No. Stay with Spencer. I have forensics checking the room and body for clues and someone checking the security tapes. There is nothing you can do until we have more information._ ”

He was right, but Juliet still felt she should be there. “How did the Chief take it when you told her?”

Carlton paused. “ _Not well,”_ he said slowly. _“She’s on her way in now.”_

Juliet winced. Vick hated being pulled away from her family. “If there is anything I can do, call.”

“ _I will._ ” With anyone else, she would assume they were just being polite. With Carlton, she knew he would call if he thought she could help. “ _And O’Hara? Keep this from Spencer for now. Chief’s orders._ ”

“Got it.” She hung up the phone and became aware of how quiet it was. She turned around to see Shawn watching her. “Done singing?” she asked, dropping the phone in her pocket.

“Who were you talking to?” he asked.

“Carlton. He wanted to know how you are.” She tried to keep her face blank to avoid giving anything away.

Shawn stared at her for a moment, then broke into a huge yawn. “Okay. Can we go now?” he asked sleepily.

“In a minute,” she said. “Where’s Gus?”

“Right here,” Gus said, walking done the hallway towards them. “I turned in the discharge papers and got his prescription filled.”

“Thanks,” she said gratefully, taking the medication.

Shawn wrapped his good arm around her and rested his head against her shoulder. “Home now?”

Juliet patted her hand. “Yes, honey, we’re leaving.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gus said. “I’ll stop by to check on you after my route.”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Juliet mouthed at him.

“ _No problem_ ,” Gus said silently back

Shawn reached out and clasped Gus’ shoulder. “I love you man.”

Gus gently removed his hand. “I know. What about your girlfriend?”

Shawn looked up at Juliet and squeezed her tight. “I love you too. More than Gus because you do fun things with me in bed.”

Gus grimaced. “And that is my cue to leave.” He waved at her and headed quickly for the exit.

Juliet fought to keep from laughing. “Come on Shawn.” She carefully led her boyfriend through the ER towards the door.

As they passed by the front desk, Shawn suddenly stopped and turned around.

“What’s the matter?” Juliet asked.

“Nothing,” Shawn said, shaking his head. “I thought I recognized her from somewhere.”

“Who?”

“What?” Shawn asked, looking at her in confusion.

Juliet shook her head. “Never mind.”

Shawn was quiet on the way home. Juliet guessed he had reached the stage where the drugs made him more sleepy than anything. It was strange, having him in the car and not talking. She was tempted to turn on the radio just so there would be some noise but he looked so cute with his head lolling against the window she didn’t want to disturb him.

He was less cute when they got home and she had to struggle to get him inside and into the bedroom. She helped him undress and made sure he got the first dose of medication before tucking him into bed.

When she tried to move away, he grabbed her hand. “Stay?”

She smiled softly. “In a minute. Just let me get ready.” She took care of the cats and changed into her pajamas as quick as she could but Shawn was still asleep by the time she got back to bed.

She slipped carefully between the sheets and cuddled up next to him. His skin felt warmer than normal, though not too hot. Still, she wondered if it might have been better if Shawn had stayed at the hospital.

Her boyfriend rolled over in his sleep towards, whimpering softly as he tried to hold her using his bad arm. She shifted closer, smiling when he sighed happily against the back of her neck. No, this was better, for both of them. Shawn was happy and relaxed and she would be here if anything happened to him.

Nestling back against Shawn’s warm chest, she let out a happy sigh of her own as she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see. These last few months really got away from me. Between writer's block, work being extremely busy, and some health issues (migraines suck) I haven't had as much time to write as I hoped. Plus this story is turning out much more complicated than I originally thought (good for you because that means it will be longer). 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this chapter despite the long wait. And happy Memorial Day!

Shawn spent the first two days after he was attacked in a feverish haze. His temperature spiked the first night and he woke up in sheets drenched with sweat with his whole body aching. Juliet wanted to take him back to the hospital but Shawn was lucid enough to argue against it. He had the antibiotics the doctor had prescribed and his temperature wasn’t that high. His arm was a little swollen but the wound wasn’t puffy or inflamed, just a little red. He hated hospitals, with their weird smell of sick people and antiseptic and people constantly threatening him with pointy things. He finally threatened to handcuff himself to the bed and swallow the key before Juliet gave in. Which was good, because in hindsight it would have been tricky to get the key back once he got better.

Juliet finally went to work and Shawn burrowed under the covers, only coming out when Gus or Juliet forced him to eat or drink something or he got too hot. Gus thought he should go back to the hospital too but Shawn had much more practice convincing his friend to go along with his plans. He could practically do it in his sleep, which was good because he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes opened. If he had the energy he might have wondered if maybe the two of them had a point but instead he burrowed deeper under the covers and shut out the world.

On the morning of day three, Shawn woke up alone in bed. He stretched his sore muscles and made a face at the clammy sheets wrapped around him. He hated being really sick. A little sick was fine; he could get people to do things for him and laze around and enjoy it. But being actually sick sucked.

He peeled the sheets off him and climbed out of bed. He should probably change them but first he wanted a shower. His skin felt sticky from dried sweat and he didn’t want to imagine what his hair looked like.

As he headed for the bathroom, he caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye. Damn, he had forgotten about the bandage on his arm. It was funny, really, since it was the stupid bite that had caused all this to begin with. He didn’t want to fuss with changing the bandages, so he made a quick detour to the kitchen. He wrapped his arm with plastic wrap, hoping it would be enough to keep off the water. He rolled the tube around his arm several more times just to be safe before resuming his trek to the bathroom.

The hot shower felt great against his sore muscles and he wallowed in it much longer than he had planned. When he finally left the bathroom, he was squeaky clean and feeling better than he had in days. The plastic wrap was a little tricky to get off but had managed to keep most of the water out so he left the slightly damp bandage for now. As he was getting dressed, his stomach started to growl loudly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten any solid food so he grabbed his phone and headed for the kitchen.

Being sick had apparently made him ravenous and he was on his third bowl of Lucky Charms when Gus called. “’allo?” he mumbled around a mouthful of cereal.

“ _It’s impolite to answer the phone with your mouth full, Shawn._ ”

Shawn shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth, making sure to crunch loudly. “It’s also impolite to yell at someone getting over a major illness.”

Gus sighed. “ _I guess if you're eating that means you’re feeling better._ ”

“Loads better,” Shawn mumbled, scooping more cereal into his mouth. “I’m thinking of running a marathon.”

He could practically hear Gus rolling his eyes. “ _Then you’re good enough to go down to the station. The Chief wants to see us about something._ ”

Shawn slurped up the rest of his cereal and put the bowl in the sink. “You think this is about Baker?” Juliet hadn’t said anything to him but she also hadn't mentioned anything work related while he was sick.

“ _She didn’t say. I just know she called me this morning after Juliet said you were feeling better._ ”

“And how do you know what Juliet told her?” Shawn asked, getting annoyed. He hated when people talked about him behind his back.

“ _We’ve both been worried about you and she wanted me to know you seemed to be doing better._ ”

“Well, you can both stop worrying now. I feel fine,” Shawn said irritably.

“ _Good. I’ll see you in ten minutes._ ”

Shawn hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket. Gus must have been pretty sure he was well enough to head down to the station if he was already that close. That, or Gus thought what the Chief had for them was important enough to drag him still somewhat sick from the house. He stared out the window as he recalled every conversation he had had with Juliet the last couple of days, trying to figure out what was going on.

Juliet’s cat Snowball walked into the room and over to his food bowl. He sniffed at the dry food before looking up at Shawn and crying piteously.

Shawn rolled his eyes and pulled a small dish out of the cabinet. “Do not tell Jules I’m doing this for you. She hates when I feed you guys extra.” He grabbed a can of cat food and dumped it on the plate.

Snowball jumped on the counter, too eager to get the food to wait on the floor. When he was a couple feet from Shawn, he stopped, eyeing him suspiciously.

“What? Don’t like this flavor?’ He pushed the plate closer to the cat.

Snowball hissed and scrambled back from the plate. He fell off the counter with an inelegant thud and ran from the room as if hell-hounds were chasing him.

“Weird,” Shawn muttered. He put the plate on the floor next to the dry food, figuring the cat might want it later after it got over his strange panic attack.

A horn honked outside. Putting aside the cat’s weird behavior for now, he headed out to meet Gus.

* * *

Shawn bounded into the station, Gus struggling to keep up with him. “Slow down,” his friend complained.

Shawn turned to face him, walking backwards into the heart of the station. “Can’t. I’ve been stuck in bed for too long and now I got to move.” He did a little improvised dance step and crashed into someone.

Hands caught his shoulders and steadied him until he caught his balance. “Are you okay?”

Shawn turned and a strange smell immediately assaulted. He inhaled deeply trying to figure out what it was. It reminded Shawn of when he and Gus had tried to start a dog walking business, though none of those dogs had ever rampaged through a spice shop. It was overwhelming and he quickly turned his head to sneeze.

“Cover your nose when you sneeze, Shawn,” Gus said, narrowly avoiding the spray.

“Sorry,” Shawn said, rubbing his nose.

“Shawn Spencer?” He turned back to the woman who he had run in to, who was looking at him speculatively. She glanced at his arm, then back up at her face. “You're looking much better than the last time I saw you.”

It took a moment for Shawn to place her but he eventually recalled the two officers who had dragged Baker off. “It was merely a flesh wound,” he proclaimed in a fake British accent.

The woman, Officer Monroe according to her name tag, smiled. “Well, I’m glad. Too bad about Baker though. He would have been a lot of help on the case.” Another officer called her name and she waved at him. “I have to go. It was a nice seeing you again.”

“Did you hear that?” Shawn asked quietly as she walked away. “Something happened to Baker.”

“Yeah,” Gus said, equally as quiet. “That would explain why Vick wanted you down here so soon.”

“Let’s find Jules and Lassie.” Glancing around the station, he soon zeroed in on his two favorite detectives. Gus again struggled to keep up as he quickly crossed the floor to them. “Jules!” he cried, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

“Great, the puffing chew toy is back,” Lassiter grumbled. “Looking for someone else to gnaw on your other arm to match?”

“Carlton, be nice,” Juliet admonished. “Though you can let me go now Shawn.”

“Not yet,” Shawn said, inhaling deeply. Juliet smelled so good, like pineapple and sunshine. “Did you steal my shampoo this morning?” he asked, taking another hearty whiff.

“Um, no.” Juliet tried to push him away. “Shawn, not here,” she hissed.

Blinking at her, he noticed how red her face was getting. “Sorry,” he said, quickly taking a step back. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, not sure what had come over him. Gus was the one who creepily sniffed the ladies.

“Are you alright?” Juliet asked quietly. “You look better but if you’re not feeling up for this. . .”

“I’m fine,” Shawn said quickly. “Definitely up for whatever you need me for.”

“We stopped for donuts on the way here,” Gus explained. “He may be experiencing a sugar rush.”

Juliet raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t get me one?”

Shawn ducked his head. “I may have eaten it.”

“If you're done molesting my partner, the Chief want to see us,” Lassiter said. He brushed past Shawn to get to the office and Shawn picked up the scent of gunpowder. The detective must be tense if he’s hitting the gun range this early in the morning.

Vick was waiting for them behind her desk, a serious expression on her face. “Please sit. Detectives, I know you’re aware of the situation but I need to get Mr. Spencer and Mr. Guster up to speed.”

Shawn sat down next to Gus and immediately hissed, curling in on himself with a hand to his head. “I’m getting something. I’m seeing a dog, a scruffy, mangy looking dog that not even the kindest hearted animal lover would adopt. But wait!” He stood up and waved an arm. “Not a dog, a man. But a man who acts like a dog. I’m getting sharp teeth and a thirst for blood.” He got down on all fours and started growling. Gus jumped. He guessed he had gotten pretty good at his dog growls.

“Spencer! Stop messing around. This is serious!” Lassiter snapped.

Shawn stopped growling. “Something’s wrong. I’m not sensing the man nearby anymore.” He looked up at Gus and whimpered. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know.” Gus gently pat the top of his head. It felt kind of good. He leaned into Gus's leg until Vick cleared her throat.

Shawn shook himself and slowly stood up. He scratched the side of his head. “I think I have fleas.”

“How could you get fleas from pretending to be a dog?” Lassiter asked.

Shawn rolled his eyes. “I was channeling a dog like spirit, so obviously they are spirit fleas.” He frowned. “I wonder if a regular flea bath would work. Maybe I'll need a spirit flea bath.”

“Was there a point to that, Mr. Spencer?” Vick asked cut in before the argument escalated further. She sounded annoyed but there was a speculative glint in her eyes.

Watching Juliet out of the corner of her eye, he said, “The spirits are saying something happened to Baker.” When his girlfriend exchanged a look with Lassiter and didn’t look his way, he confirmed his suspicion.

Vick sighed. “Take a seat.” Once he had, she handed him a file. “We found Baker strangled in his cell a few hours after his arrest.”

“He was attacked here?” Shawn asked in surprise. He had suspected Baker had escaped or been forced to be released over a technicality. Flipping through the file, he paused on a picture of Baker lying on the floor of the cell, staring vacantly at the ceiling. “His door was still locked,” he murmured.

Vick nodded. “Someone strangled him through the bars of his cell.”

Shawn glanced over at Gus. This was getting strange. “What about the security tapes?”

Vick waved at Lassiter. “Detective?”

“A figure approximately 5’5” entered the station at 3:14 pm in jeans and a dark blue sweater with the hood up to obscure their face. A few minutes later, he entered the jail cell and strangled Baker. A couple minutes after that we caught him on the camera over the back entrance near the morgue.” Lassiter shook his head. “Not once did he let his face get caught on camera.”

“Sounds like someone didn’t want Baker to talk,” Gus said.

Lassiter nodded. “The timing is too coincidental. The first time we leave Baker alone someone kills him? He definitely knew something about those murders.”

“I’d like to see those tapes for myself,” Shawn said.

Lassiter grumbled but Vick cut him off with a look. “I’ll have the tech people set it up for you.” She stood up and everyone quickly copied her.

“Right now?” Shawn asked in surprise. Usually he wasn’t shown evidence so easily.

“Yes, now,” Vick said irritably. “I want this killer caught, Mr. Spencer. Unless you have something better to do?”

“No ma’am,” he said quickly. Vick really wanted to get this guy but he could understand why. Someone had come onto her turf and committed a crime and she couldn’t let that stand. He didn't feel much differently. He wasn't a cop but he was still part of the department and didn't like the idea of someone being killed where they should have been safe.

Shawn ended up walking next to Juliet on the way to the AV room. “You knew,” he said softly.

Juliet sighed. “You were sick. We didn’t want you to know about the case until you were better. We both know you would have tried to get involved no matter how badly you were feeling.” She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I wanted you to be safe.”

“I still should have known,” Shawn muttered but squeezed her hand back. He probably would have done the same in her position and he really couldn't complain about her keeping things from him. She had mostly forgiven him for keeping his real abilities secret from her but he wasn't about to say something that might change her mind.

The audio-visual room was a bit tight with everyone in there but he made sure to get a spot upfront by the screen. “All we need now is some popcorn and red vines.”

“And Raisinets,” Gus added.

“The last thing you two need is sugar,” Lassiter muttered.

“Quiet down everyone.” Vick nodded at the tech standing next to her. “Play the footage, Randall.”

All joking aside, Shawn studied the screen carefully. They had a shot of their suspect entering the station and a few glimpses of him as he snuck down the hallways. Next time he was clearly visible was by the holding cells.

Johnson walked out and less than a minute later their suspect entered. Baker got up from where he had been lounging on his cot. Reacting to a stranger or did Baker know the suspect? It would be something to look into. The suspect stood in front of the cell and said something. Baker snarled back an answer and started to turn away. Almost too quick for Shawn to see, the suspect had Baker up against the bars and was tugging on something around his neck.

Shawn tapped Randall’s shoulder. “Can you play that again? But slower this time?”

Randall fiddled with his keyboard for a moment then restarted the scene. This time, Shawn could see how the bars shook as Baker was slammed against them and how the suspect, despite being shorter, was pulling up hard enough on his neck that Baker’s feet barely touched the floor.

Even in slow motion, the whole thing was over very quickly. The suspect exited the room, leaving Baker lying dead on the floor. The next, and last, glimpse they had of him was when he exited the back door near the morgue.

“Can I see that again?” Shawn asked. There was something about their suspect that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. He was hoping a second viewing would help him figure it out.

“No problem.” Randal queued up the video again and let it play. This time Shawn caught what he missed the first time and stared contemplatively at the screen when the footage was finished.

“Well Mr. Spencer? Did you discover anything,” Vick asked at last.

Shawn turned to face the group. “I’m sensing that the killer was a woman.”

“Are you crazy?” Lassiter snapped. “This person managed to subdue and strangle a 180 pound man who was locked in a cell. No woman is strong enough to do that.”

“So woman are weak, is that it?” Juliet asked icily.

Lassiter grimaced, realizing his mistake. “Not all woman. But all the signs point to this being a professional. Women tend to prefer poisons for assassinations.”

Juliet crossed her arms. “Oh, so now you’re being sexist.”

“I’m not,” Lassiter protested. He turned to Vick. “Chief, what is your opinion?”

“I think you could have phrased things better,” Vick said, giving Lassiter a look, “but I agree that our killer was probably a man.”

Shawn hated the smug look of confidence on Lassiter’s face. “Come on, do you know any guys that short and slim? And you can see her long hair poking out from under the hood.”

“Men can have long hair too,” Lassiter said, sounding as if the words sickened him.

“Jules agrees with me. Right, sweetie?” Shawn asked, turning to his girlfriend.

Juliet glanced at Lassiter. “Despite how insensitive my partner is, I have to agree with him. Most women do not have the upper body strength to strangle a man that size, especially under those circumstances.”

“Gus?”

His friend shrugged. “Sorry dude.”

“Was there anything else, Mr. Spencer?” Vick asked.

Shawn hesitated. If his suspicions were right, this could be big. Because of that, he needed to make sure before he said anything. “No, but I might be able to sense more if I could see the crime scene.”

“People have been in and out of the holding cells for the last three days,” Lassiter said. “Chief, this is a waste of time. I have some real leads I should be following up on.”

“I can show Shawn,” Juliet volunteered. “I’ll help Lassiter when I’m done.”

Vick nodded. “If you determine anything, let me know right away,” she said, giving Shawn a look.

“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” Shawn snapped, throwing a sloppy salute.

Lassiter rolled his eyes and pushed his way out of the room. Vick followed with more politeness.

“You don’t need to baby sit us, Jules,” Shawn said once they left. “Gus and I know where the holding cells are.”

“You are not supposed to be wandering around the station.” She held up a hand. “And don’t tell me that you do. I don’t want to know.”

The holding cells were around the corner from the AV room. Juliet led the way there then stepped back to let the two men examine the room.

Shawn walked up to the cell Baker had been in. Up close, he realized how short the person on the video had to be. She (he was convinced it was a she) was almost as short as Juliet. A quick glance around and he had seen all he needed to. “Let’s go.”

“That’s it?” Gus asked in surprise. “We just got here.”

Shawn pointed to his head. “Everything’s already up here. Not that there is much left to see.” He walked over to the Juliet. “She exited the door Woody usually brings the bodies in, right?”

Juliet at least didn’t correct him. “That’s right.”

“Then follow me.”

Exiting the holding cells, he turned toward the morgue. He started down a hallway, then stopped and backtracked. “Nope, this way.” At the next turn, he glanced down both ways before taking the one on the left. After a long, convoluted path, they reached the back door.

“Was there any reason we had to take the longest way here?” Gus asked in annoyance.

Shawn pointed to a camera at the end of the hallway. “Whoever this person is, they managed to avoid almost all the security cameras to get here. She must have been moving quickly to get out before the alarm was sounded.”

“He,” Gus insisted.

Shawn ignored him. Pushing open the door, he stepped outside. He glanced up at the camera pointed at the door then around at the parking lot. “Is that the only camera out here?”

Juliet nodded. “Lassiter is fighting to get a few more to provide coverage of the parking lot.”

“Is that like closing the doors after the dog escapes?” Shawn asked.

“The phrase is closing the barn door after the horse escapes,” Gus corrected.

“Not if you’re at Eric Gladstone’s birthday party.”

Gus glared at him. “I knew that was you! I had to spend four hours helping him find Buddy!”

“The important thing is that I provided you a great bonding experience that left you friends.”

“He stole my first girlfriend.”

“Guys, can we focus,” Juliet cut in. “Shawn, did you figure out anything new?”

“Nothing substantial.” Juliet looked skeptical, so he added, “As soon as I have something concrete I’ll bring it to you and Lassie.”

“You'd better Shawn. IA is already making noise about taking over this investigation. This is the second time in the past few years a prisoner has been killed in those holding cells.”

“At least this time they can’t blame Lassiter,” Shawn pointed out. Lassiter had been in the middle of the station in clear view of a dozen officers when Baker was killed.

“No, but they can blame him if he doesn’t find the killer soon,” she said worriedly.

Shawn put a comforting hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder. “We’ll get him Jules. Don’t worry.”

Juliet reached up and grabbed his hand. “I hope you’re right.” She gave him a quick kiss then stepped back. “I need to go help Carlton. If we come up with anything, we’ll call you.”

“Likewise.” Juliet headed back inside and Shawn and Gus walked around the station back to the Blueberry.

“So what did you really figure out?” Gus asked.

“Later,” Shawn said. “I’m still mulling things over. First we need to replenish ourselves.” He looked over at his friend as they reached the car. “Chocolate banana pancakes at Benny’s?”

Gus grinned. “You know that's right.”

* * *

Minx peered over the top of her book. From her position, she could see the front of the Psych office and just make out the two men currently inside. She turned a page and sighed. Surveillance was such boring work.

Someone thumped down heavily on the bench behind her. “You’re going to give us away,” she said, not glancing up from her book.

“Relax. There is no way his puny human vision could make out this bench from there, let alone who is sitting on it.” Admiral nudged her arm. “Pass me the chips.”

Minx passed him the bag and closed her book. “That’s assuming he _is_ still human.”

“Have you seen anything that would suggest otherwise?” Admiral asked. He grabbed the bag of M&M’s next to her and poured out a handful.

She snatched her candy back. “Well, he’s putting food away like he’s one of us,” she said, eyeing Admiral distastefully. They may turn into beasts but that was no excuse to eat like an animal. It was hard to believe Admiral had the best table manners in the pack, besides herself of course. “Though his friend was eating almost as much as he was.”

“Anything else?”

Minx shrugged. “He’s very observant of his surroundings but according to his file he was like that already.”

A man pushing a churro cart passed the Psych office. A few seconds later, Spencer exited and headed after him.

“He has good taste,” Admiral commented. “That food smells heavenly.”

Minx privately agreed but there were more important things in life than food. “Is that all you think about?” she teased.

Admiral huffed. “I’ve seen you put away just as much as the rest of us.” He reached over and grabbed her book. “What are you reading?” Minx snatched it back but it was too late. “Werewolves again? You know they get everything wrong.”

“They sometimes get things right,” Minx said defensively. “They almost always have the silver weakness.”

Admiral waved at the book in her hands. “Well, I don’t care if we are supernatural beings. Guys can’t get pregnant. Why do you even read that stuff?”

Minx shoved the book into her bag, trying not to blush. “None of your business,” she snapped. She turned away to look at Spencer, ignoring Admiral.

Admiral pushed her shoulder gently. “I’m just teasing, Minx. Stop taking things so personal.”

Spencer was thanking the churro man for his food. The vender seemed to enjoy talking to him. By all accounts, Spencer was a very friendly man and made allies easily. A useful type of person to have. Spencer waved at the churro man as he walked of and glanced along the boardwalk. His gaze paused at their bench.

“Do you think he sees us?” Minx asked quietly.

“Not from this distance,” Admiral said, though there was doubt in his voice.

Spencer watched them a few seconds longer than turned to walk back to his office.

“Keep a close eye on this one,” Admiral said. “If he has indeed changed, we need to get to him first.”

Minx snorted. “That will be tough with that bitch at the police station.”

“I have faith in you.” Admiral patted her shoulder as he stood up. “Good luck.”

Minx watched him go before grabbing the book back out of her bag and a bag of pretzels. She owed the pack a lot, Admiral in particular. She wouldn’t let them down.

* * *

Shawn took a big bite of his churro as he walked back to his desk. “These are really good today,” he mumbled.

“Stop talking with your mouth full,” Gus said, sounding like a tiresome parent. “And how can you possibly still be hungry?”

“I’m a growing boy, Gus. I need nourishment.” He took another bite of his churro and hummed happily.

“You’re going to end up with a stomachache,” Gus said. “Don’t think I’ll baby you like Juliet does.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He shoved the rest of the pastry in his mouth and balled up the wrapper. Taking careful aim, he tossed it through the hoop over the garbage can. “Score!” he garbled out, giving Gus a thumbs up.

Gus rolled his eyes. “If you’re finally done eating, we should talk about the case.”

Shawn grabbed a water bottle off his desk and took a swig to clear his mouth. “Yeah, about that,” he said, not looking at Gus. “Ithinkitwasaninsidejob.”

Gus raised an eyebrow. “Come again?”

Shawn put the water bottle down and leaned against his desk facing Gus. “Whoever this person is made sure never to let their face appear on camera and knew which hallways had cameras on them by the back entrance.” Shawn shrugged. “Either a cop was helping them or they are a cop.”

Gus frowned. “That’s pretty serious. Are you sure?”

Shawn nodded. “Pretty sure. It wouldn’t be the first dirty cop we’ve come across.”

Gus sighed. “That’s messed up.”

“You’re telling me,” Shawn muttered, picking at his bandage. It was why he hadn’t said anything at the station. Despite what people thought, he had learned over the years not to blurt out every suspicion he had. Who knows who could have been listening?

Gus made a face. “You really should change that.”

Shawn looked at his arm. Sure, the bandage was more gray than white and there was a syrup stain in one corner but it didn’t look too bad. “It can wait.”

“It’s going to end up infected again if you don’t keep the bandage clean.” Gus went over to the closet and pulled out their monstrous first aid kit. Shawn thought it was overkill but Gus insisted they would one day need everything in it.

Gus grabbed a handful of bandages, medical tape, creams, and other things Shawn didn’t recognize and shoved it into his arms. “Go change it.”

“But Gus – ”

Gus raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to call Juliet?”

Shawn glared at him. “No,” he said sullenly. Clutching the medical supplies to his chest, he went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. He hated being blackmailed. Threatening to call Juliet was almost as bad as threatening to call his dad.

Dumping everything in the sink, he studied the bandage on his arm. Pulling the tape off was going to sting. “Might as well get it over with,” he said, carefully peeling up one side of the bandage and bracing himself. He yanked it off, letting out a yelp of pain before he could stop himself.

“Everything okay?” Gus called through the door.

“Fine,” Shawn ground out. He held his arm to his chest, waiting for the stinging pain to pass. This was why he had avoided changing the bandage this morning. Once his arm felt less like he had removed the top layer of skin, he stretched it out in front of him so he could look at the wound.

He felt his jaw drop. “No way.”

The stitches were still in his arm but all that was left of the bite wound was angry red jagged line. It looked a couple weeks old but the bite had happened only three days ago. He carefully poked the wound just in case this was some kind of hallucination. It still hurt but more at the bruise pain level instead of the ‘someone recently took a chunk out of my arm’ pain level.

Digging around in the cabinet behind the mirror, he found a small pair of scissors. He carefully cut and removed the stitches (something he had learned how to do during a three week stint as an assistant in a vet’s office). He flexed his arm, feeling only a small amount of pain as the wound stretched.

He jumped when Gus’ voice sounded through the door. “Are you done yet, Shawn?”

“Just a sec.” He looked down at his arm and frowned. He didn’t know why the bite had healed so quickly but whatever the reason he didn’t think people should know. He could too vividly recall dozens of science fiction movies where someone exhibited strange healing powers and they always ended up on the run from the government or being experimented on. He ripped open a couple of large bandages and awkwardly taped them to his arm, being carefully to keep the entire cut covered. He made sure the stitches were hidden in the discarded packaging and purposefully left a mess on the counter to distract Gus.

He opened the door and strolled out past a worried looking Gus. “All done,” he said, holding up his arm as he walked back to his desk.

Gus looked into the bathroom and sighed in disgust. “You could have cleaned up after yourself,” he grumbled, going in to gather up the leftover medical supplies.

“But I’m injured, Gus. Are you saying you won’t help out a cripple?” Shawn said with a pout as he sat down at his desk.

“Your other arm works fine.” Gus dumped the extra supplies into the first aid kit and glared at him. “Don’t think I don’t know you are going to milk this for all it’s worth.”

“Me? Never,” Shawn said innocently.

Gus snorted as he sat at his desk. “Whatever, Shawn.” He opened his laptop, signaling the end of the conversation.

Shawn hid a satisfied grin as he turned to his own laptop. Gus was too easy to distract. The real challenge would be to keep Juliet from wanting to help change his bandages for the next few weeks until his arm had ‘healed.’

He frowned down thoughtfully at his arm. Healing was great but he hoped there weren’t going to be any surprise side effects along with it. Glancing at Gus to make sure he wasn't watching, he opened a second browser window. He had some research to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is in the editing stages, so I hope to have it up soon. Just as long as life doesn't interfere again (sigh). If you like the way things are going to far or have any suggestions, please leave a review. I may take a while to answer but I do read every one and they mean a lot to me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Nikki! Hope you like the newest chapter!
> 
> Warning: Graphic descriptions of a mutilated dead body ahead

Shawn stared over the report he had printed and crumbled it up in disgust. Another dead end. He tossed it towards the trash can, growling when it fell a few inches short and added to the growing pile on the floor. Gus was going to be mad when he came in and had to clean it up but right now Shawn was too aggravated to care. Every lead he had followed to figure out who had killed Baker had led to nowhere. Whoever the killer was was good at covering their tracks.

Of course, his investigation was hampered by the fact he didn't want the police to know he was investigating their own officers. He was sure someone on the inside had to be involved but he couldn't just go up to everyone who had been present that day and ask if they had anything to do with Baker's death. He had interviewed everyone on the pretense of finding out if they had seen the mysterious hooded figure but hadn't been able to determine anything. The accomplice (or killer; he hadn't ruled out that a cop could have done it) would obviously play along and he couldn't ask if anyone had been acting suspicious without letting on he was investigating the cops. He sighed heavily. He wondered if this was what Lassiter felt like before he swooped in and solved the case for him.

His investigation into his rapid healing wasn't going anywhere either. He had found some medical articles about the subject but from what little he had been able to understand the patient's healing hadn't been anywhere as rapid as his. Everything else he had come across had been in the realm of fantasy or science fiction. From secret government experiments to alien technology to vampires and werewolves, most of it he had dismissed. He had been conscious at the hospital so knew he hadn't been given any kind of experimental serum or had strange technology used on him. He had researched the doctor who had treated him and there were no other cases of rapid healing he could find, so that ruled out the doctor being the cause. As for the rest, even he didn't really believe in vampires and werewolves.

Though this had all started from a bite. He fingered the edge of the bandage. The damn thing itched constantly but he couldn't risk taking it off until he figured out what was going on. Since he had removed the stitches a week ago, the wound had completely healed. All that was visible now was a jagged scar. He wondered, with his apparent approved healing, why there was a scar at all, but maybe it was a side effect of whatever the cause was. In some stories, the bite from a supernatural creature never truly disappeared but that was impossible. Baker had been human.

Even if his teeth had appeared longer at the time and his eyes had looked strange. Shawn shook his head. No, if Baker hadn't been human, it would have been discovered during the autopsy. Unless whoever was responsible for Baker's death had covered that up too. They did work at the station, after all.

The whole thing was crazy. He still felt human. Nothing about him had changed besides the healing. Sure, he seemed to have a bigger appetite lately and had been more irritable than normal but that could all be chalked up to his recent illness and his frustration over the case. Right now, he didn't have enough information to figure out what was happening to him so he would have to keep looking.

He sneezed as the overwhelming smell of lavender filled the office. He covered his nose and considered reaching for a gas mask. “Dude, what did you do, swim in that stuff?”

Gus frowned as he walked into the room and placed a smoothie on Shawn's desk. “What are you talking about?”

Shawn held his breath until Gus had walked over to his desk. Even then it wasn't much better. “That lavender oil you rub on your head. Did you accidentally dump the bottle all over you?”

“I barely put any on.”

“Right,” Shawn said, drawing the word out. “So who’s the girl?” His friend only over did things when there was a cute girl involved.

“There is no girl.” Gus took an experimental sniff. “I can barely smell it myself and it’s on me. Stop blowing things out of proportion.”

“Then at least crack a window.” The smell was really starting to give him a headache and it was so strong he could almost taste it.

Gus gave him an irritable look. “Get up and open the damn window yourself.”

“Fine.” He stalked to the window and shoved it open. The air outside was heavy with the smell of the ocean but was much better than the nauseating lavender. He pressed his face against the screen and took several deep breaths.

“Did you take anything this morning?”

Shawn pulled his head back into the office. With a breeze, the lavender stench was just bearable. “I'm not on drugs, Gus,” Shawn said irritably.

“There are types of medication that can cause hyperosmia. A heightened sense of smell,” Gus explained at his blank look. “Did your doctor prescribe a new medication or did you take anything over the counter that would interact with what you’re on now?”

“No.” He had stopped taking all the medication, including the antibiotics, the doctor gave him once he realized his arm had healed. “It’s not hyperosmosis, you decided to impersonate the inside of a perfume bottle.”

“It’s hyper _osmia_ , and you are clearly reacting more strongly than normal to the smell.” Gus looked at him worriedly. “Any other symptoms? Have you gotten any migraines lately?”

“I’m fine,” Shawn snapped. The open window had helped clear the room of the smell, making it safe to retreat to his desk. “You’re the one who needs to learn a lesson from Pepe Le Pew.”

Gus slammed a hand on his desk. “You did _not_ just go Looney Tunes on me.”

Shawn smirked. “What if I did?”

Gus’ eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, _Taz_.”

Shawn gasped. “Take that back!”

“Have you seen yourself eat recently?” Gus asked. “Not to mention your hair.”

Shawn patted his head. “What’s wrong with my hair?” He tilted his computer screen, trying to see a reflection of himself.

“Nothing if you like the shaggy look.”

Gus’ eyes suddenly brightened and Shawn quickly held up a hand. “No, we are not going Scooby Doo, _Velma_.”

Gus winced. “Okay, truce.”

“Deal.” Shawn dug around in his desk until he found a candy bar wrapper. He tried to use the reflective inner surface to get a better look at his hair. “Is it really that bad?”

“A bit messy like you’ve been running your fingers through it all morning,” Gus said. “Having trouble on the case?”

Shawn sighed and dropped the wrapper back in the drawer. A quick glance showed there were no intact candy bars left so he shoved it shut. “I’ve got nothing, Gus. No clue who killed Baker besides that she was involved with someone at the police department.”

“Maybe you would be able to find something if you didn’t narrow your search to only women,” Gus suggested.

“I don’t see how that would help since the killer was a woman.”

Gus shook his head. “Whatever. Have Lassiter and Juliet made any progress on tracking down Baker’s accomplices?”

“No, which is stupid since we know it was the Lupins that did it. Lassie spouted something about needed more evidence because we don’t have proof Baker’s partners were also part of the gang.” Shawn snorted. “I mean, who else would he have been working with?”

Gus raised an eyebrow. “What were you expecting them to do? Storm the place and arrest everyone there?”

Shawn shrugged. “I’m sure they are all guilty of _something_.”

“Have you tried looking into Baker’s accomplices yourself?” Gus asked. “Maybe one of them killed Baker to keep him from naming them.”

Shawn shook his head. “The DNA evidence shows all the attackers were male. Also, there are only three female gang members without a record and none of them match the build of our killer.”

“What about the men? Maybe one of them – ”

Shawn cut him off. “The killer was a woman. I’m sure of it.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then groaned and hurriedly tried to flatten it. “This sucks. I’m missing something, Gus. The answer is staring me right in the face and I can’t see it.”

“Maybe you need a break,” Gus said. “Let’s grab something to eat and maybe when we get back something will click.”

“Maybe,” Shawn said doubtfully but he wasn’t one to turn down a free meal. Plus the lavender smell filling the office wasn’t helping things and he might think better with some fresh air. He took a sip of his smoothie, gagging a bit when the lavender effected the taste. “Let’s go.”

Once outside, they perused the food cart vendors in sight. “We could get corn dogs,” Gus said.

Shawn shook his head. “Had those for breakfast. What about snow cones?”

Gus grimaced. “Last time it tasted like ice soaked in cough syrup.” He glanced around. “How about pretzels?”

Shawn smirked. “Only if he has forgiven you for trying to get the health department to shut him down.”

“He was handling the food without gloves,” Gus said defensively. “ _And_ he sneezed on it before he gave it to me.”

The pretzel vender was glaring at them already, so Shawn ruled him out. “What to choose, what to choose,” he muttered, drawing in a deep breath to see if any of the smells coming from the food carts sparked an interest. A hint of cinnamon and fried dough made him smile. “How about churros?”

“That would be great, if the churro guy were here,” Gus said.

Shawn opened his eyes and looked around. “Weird. I can smell them.”

Gus sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything.”

Frowning, Shawn took another deep breath. “I do.” He pointed down the boardwalk. “I think it’s coming from that way.” He started walking, assuming Gus would catch up.

“I still don’t smell anything,” Gus complained. “Are you sure you’re not imagining it?”

“I’m sure.” The smell was getting stronger now. It veered off the boardwalk and towards an area full of tourist shops. There were a couple of food carts here as well as places that sold food but Shawn was determined to find the churros. They turned down another street, this one residential.

“I think I smell something now,” Gus said, taking a deep breath.

Shawn snorted. “About time. I think you need to get the ‘super sniffer’ checked out. That’s twice today that my nose has beaten yours.”

“I had a sinus infection last week,” Gus said. “It could still be effecting my sense of smell.”

“Pul-eaz, you sneezed twice when you tripped into that flower bed,” Shawn scoffed. He pointed down the street. “See? I told you!”

The churro cart was sitting at the beginning of an alley between two buildings not far from a park. There didn’t appear to be anyone in sight. As they got closer, Shawn picked up a strange smell. It was coppery and rotten mixed with things he couldn’t identify and wasn’t sure he wanted to. His steps slowed. “Maybe we should go back.”

Gus looked at him incredulously. “We came all this way and now that we found him you just want to leave?” He shook his head. “I’m getting me some churros.”

“Gus, I mean it. Something’s not right.” The smell was getting stronger the closer they got to the alley and was starting to make him nauseous.

Gus stopped at the cart. “It’s still warm, he can’t be far. Do you think he went down there?” He peered down the alley. “Hello?”

Shawn couldn’t make out much in the dim light of the alley but he saw a shape in the garbage bags halfway down. “I don’t think he’s going to be serving us any time soon.”

“Maybe he’s hurt,” Gus said, though he didn’t move any closer. “Do you smell that? It smells like blood.”

That must be the coppery smell. Combined with the others, it didn’t bode well. “We should call Lassie and Jules.” He pulled out his phone but didn’t dial. “If he’s still alive, he might need an ambulance,” he said slowly.

Gus nodded, eyes darting nervously down the alley. “We should check on him.”

Shawn held his breath and stuck to Gus’ side as they cautiously made their way down the alley. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. When they did, he grabbed onto Gus’ arm and barely stifled a scream.

There was blood everywhere. It was still fresh enough to drip along the walls and trash bags and to pool in a sticky puddle in the center of the alley. What was left of the body was a mangled mound of flesh in the middle of the puddle. It looked like animals had been chewing on it. The stomach had been ripped open and guts spread in a cooling pile next to the body. He guessed this was the missing churro guy but it was hard to identify him. The face bore deep scratches and his gaze kept being drawn to where the throat had been torn out, exposing bone and cartilage amongst slippery bits of meat.

It was horrifying and he could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. This had an unfortunate side effect of drawing in more of the smell which he now knew was coming from the disemboweled corpse. He stumbled back, trying to make it out of the alley to fresh air. He only made it a few steps before he leaned against the wall and emptied the contents of his stomach on the alley floor.

________________________________

“Did they say how bad it was?” Juliet asked as they got out of the car.

Carlton grimaced. “Douglas said it was like the set of a slasher film.”

Juliet made a face. Her boyfriend may like those type of bloody horror movies but they were a little too gory for her tastes. Maybe because she sometimes found herself facing those kind of scenes in person; like today.

The street was bustling with people. Several police cars were parked at the end of the street and a barricade had been erected to keep back the curious bystanders who had wandered over. A couple of officers were questioning people who lived in the nearby apartment buildings.

They made their way through the crowd to the alley where the body was found. Gus was standing near the entrance, fidgeting as he glanced at something across the street. “Hi, Gus,” she said. “You and Shawn found the body?”

“Yeah,” Gus said, glancing behind them down the alley. “Shawn thought he smelled the churro guy and insisted he go out to find him.”

That sounded like her boyfriend. She looked around but didn't see him anywhere. “Where is he?”

Gus nodded across the street. “He said the smell was bothering him.”

Juliet followed his gaze and saw Shawn sitting on the curb across the street with his head in his hands. “Is he okay?”

“I think so,” Gus said. “Physically he's fine but he says 'the world smells too loud.'”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Carlton asked.

Gus shrugged. “Just because I’m his best friend doesn’t mean I always know what he is talking about.”

“Whatever. At least it’s keeping him out of our way.” Carlton waved at a spot near the alley wall not far from them. “By the way, thanks for contaminating the crime scene, Guster.”

“That wasn't me,” Gus protested. “ _I_ made it to the garbage can.” He scrunched his nose in distaste at the mess on the ground. “ _That_ was Shawn.”

“ _Shawn_ threw up?” Juliet asked incredulously. There had been many bloody and smelly crime scenes over the years and her boyfriend had never been so affected he had been sick.

Gus nodded. “He made me stay here to show the cops where the body was and hid across the street.”

Juliet exchanged a look with her partner. Getting sick at the scene and not trying to grab attention from the arriving officers did not sound like Shawn. She glanced down the alley. It was too dark to make out much detail from the sunny street but she could see a couple of people moving around, probably CSU. From the lack of jokes and stiffness of their movements, she could guess the scene was a bad one.

“Let’s check it out.” Carlton pointed at Gus. “Stay here. I don’t want to chance you missing next time.”

Gus snorted. “No problem. I have no desire to see that again.”

Juliet let Carlton led the way down the alley. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust. She knew as soon as Carlton’s had because his back stiffened and his step faltered. “Watch your step.” He stepped to the side to avoid a smear of blood on the ground and Juliet got her first look at the body.

With the other victims, there had been some bite marks but most of the damage had been done by humans. This body looked like it had been torn apart. She gave a startled gasp and immediately regretted it as the smell of blood and torn flesh made her gag. She covered her mouth with one hand, fighting to keep from getting sick.

Carlton glanced over at her. “You okay?” He was looking paler than normal though he was obviously trying to hide his reaction to the gruesome scene.

Juliet nodded, not trusting herself to speak just now. Carlton turned back to his examination of the body. Juliet forced herself to take slow, shallow breaths through her mouth and stepped closer to join him. This close, Juliet could understand better why Shawn had felt sick. She was feeling nauseous herself.

Carlton pointed to something in the victim’s hand. “That looks like fur.” He waved on of the techs over to extract it and took the evidence bag from them. “I can’t tell what kind. We should get Woody to analyze it.”

“May I?” Juliet took the bag and carefully examined the fur. “This looks similar to the wolf hair Shawn had me check a few years ago.”

Carlton gestured at the body. “It would match up with the bite marks. So far, they’ve all been the work of some kind of canine.”

Juliet tried to eye the body dispassionately, looking at the placement and the size of the bites. “There was more than one animal.”

Carlton nodded slowly. “But at least one human.” He pointed to some bruising on the sides of the torso. “Animals don’t punch.”

“How long until we can get a positive ID?” she asked. Her gaze kept getting drawn to the torn out throat and the wide, staring eyes in the mangled face.

“He still has fingers. If his prints are in the system, we should get a match later today.” He glanced up at the buildings on either side. “Someone had to have been home to hear what happened. Unless the first thing they did was rip out his throat.”

“Judging by the defensive wounds on his arms, I don’t think he was so lucky,” Juliet said quietly. It was horrible to imagine what this man had gone through as the animals literally ate him alive.

“Could be a break then.” She turned to glare at her partner but stopped when she saw Carlton swallow hard. “I think that is everything we can get from the scene. Woody should be able to tell us more after the autopsy.”

Juliet didn’t say anything as he quickly walked to the end of the alley. Some people believed her partner was a unfeeling robot but he was human just like the rest of us.

She blinked as she stepped out into the bright, sunny street, taking a deep breath to clear her lungs. Her nose twitched as the scent of cinnamon hit them. Gus was casually standing next to the churro cart, appearing innocent if one ignored the light dusting of crumbs on his shirt. Shawn wasn’t with him and a glance around confirmed he was still sitting across the street. She frowned. He must really be feeling bad if he was passing up free food.

Juliet grabbed a water bottle from the car before heading over to Shawn. She stopped in front of him and held out the bottle. “I thought you might want this.”

Shawn glanced up at her, then at the water in her hand. His lips twitched into a wry grin. “Thanks.” He rinsed out his mouth a couple of times before draining half the bottle.

Juliet sat down next to him. “Gus said you weren’t feeling well.”

Shawn snorted. “You mean when I tossed my cookies and ‘contaminated the crime scene.’”

There wasn’t any way Shawn could have heard what was said across the busy street but she wasn’t surprised he had gotten Carlton’s tone perfectly. Her boyfriend was proud of how well he could imitate and mock her partner. “I’ve never seen you sick at a crime scene before.”

“Guess the smell just kind of got to me today.” Shawn sighed and picked at the label for his bottle. “Gus thinks I have hypnonoses, which doesn’t make any sense. My nose, though great, has never hypnotized people.”

Juliet was sure that was not what Gus had said but Shawn tended to garble even the simplest words, let alone the complicated medical ones Gus liked to use. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Plenty of people get sick at crime scenes, not just Gus.” Or they get sea sick while trapped in a small cabin with you. It had taken a week before her hair really felt clean again.

“Doesn’t mean everybody has to laugh at me about it,” Shawn muttered, shooting a glare at a group of three officers across the street.

Juliet looked at them. They were talking quietly together but none of them were looking at Shawn. “Did they say something to you?”

“Can’t you hear them?” Shawn waved at them, a disgusted look at his face. “Right now they’re saying Mr. Esteves must have tasted sweet because of the churros.”

“Who?”

Shawn sighed. “The churro guy. His daughter is going to graduate high school in two weeks. Valedictorian.” He shouted at the officers across the street. “You’d need a butt load of sugar to make you sweet enough to eat.”

“Shawn, calm down,” Juliet said, grabbing his arm when he tried to get up. “Starting a shouting match at a crime scene is not going to help anything.”

Shawn sighed and slumped down. “It would be fun though.”

Juliet slid her hand down his arm and clasped his hand. “Why don’t you and Gus get out of here? We’ll let you know what we find.”

Shawn glanced at the officers once more before nodding. “Okay Jules.” He stood up and helped pull Juliet to her feet. “By the way, you smell really nice today.”

Juliet smiled. “Thank you Shawn.” She veered away when he tried to kiss her. “Barf breath,” she apologized at his hurt look.

Shawn gave a rueful grin. “Right. Rain check after I get some mouthwash?”

“Okay.” She kissed his cheek. “Go on. Stay out of trouble.”

Shawn smirked, looking more like himself. “When do I ever get into trouble?” He blew her a kiss before calling Gus and walking away.

Juliet wasn’t surprised Shawn knew the victim so well. Her boyfriend loved to eat, he loved talking to people, and he made friends easily. She didn’t relish having to explain to the victim’s daughter that her father was going to miss her graduation.

“Your boyfriend needs to lighten up.”

Juliet turned to see one of the officers from the group Shawn had pointed out. She recognized him now as Officer Douglas, the first person on the scene. “Did you say that the victim must have been sweet because of all the churros he ate?”

Douglas reddened. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

On one hand, she could understand the need to joke around but they were still officers and needed to remain professional. “Remember that a man died her. Show some respect,” Juliet snapped. “Or do I need to speak with the Chief?” Douglas reddened more but kept his mouth shut, just shaking his head sharply before he left.

“Impressive,” Carlton said, coming up to her. “I see some of my lessons have sunk in.”

“He’s a jackass,” Juliet said. A jackass Shawn had apparently heard across a busy, noisy street. Maybe her boyfriend was learning to read lips again.

“The Chief called. She wants to see us right away about this new death.”

“What about Shawn and Gus?”

Carlton shook his head. “We’ll call them in once we have more to work with. I doubt Spencer is up to communing with any spirits right now.”

Juliet frowned at Carlton’s dismissive tone but agreed that it would be better for Shawn to stay away for now. “All right, let’s go.”

When Carlton started the car, the radio came on and “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads was playing. Juliet hoped it wasn’t a sign.

________________________________

“Keep your eyes open in there,” Lassiter told Michaels as they approached the house. “These people are sadistic killers. Don't react to them and don't say anything.”

Michaels nodded. “Got it, sir.”

Lassiter eyed the young officer as he knocked on the door. Michaels wasn't his first choice for entering what could potentially be a hostile situation but O'Hara was informing the family of the latest death and Dobson and McNab were questioning anyone recorded to own a wolf or wolf-hybrid in the county. Michaels had found the first body and had pestered him and the Chief until he was allowed in the investigation. A good officer but a bit young and reckless. He hoped the kid could handle it in there.

The man who answered the door was the epitome of a typical gang member; lots of black leather, scar, tattoos and an adverseness for hygiene. Lassiter tried not to breathe through his nose as he held up his badge. “Head Detective Carlton Lassiter, SBPD. We need to speak with whoever is in charge of this dump.”

The man crossed his arms. “Says who?”

Lassiter shifted so his jacket fell open and his gun was visible. “Says me.”

The man grinned. “Your puny gun doesn't scare me.”

“Want to test that out?” Lassiter growled.

The man took a menacing step forward and Lassiter was reaching for his gun when another voice called out. “Max!” A hand clamped down on Max's shoulder, pulling him back. “That's no way to treat guests.”

Lassiter eyed the new man. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and appeared to be familiar with bathing, unlike his friend. Nothing about him screamed gang member in Lassiter's mind but he didn't miss the bulge of a sidearm at his side.

The new man turned to face them. “Sorry about that. Max is a guard dog at heart and not very well trained.”

Max growled and jerked himself from the other man's grip. “They want to see the boss.”

“He knows. He sent me to fetch him.” The man stepped back from the doorway. “This way, officers.”

Lassiter glanced at Michaels. The young officer looked a little nervous but not like he was about to bolt. Good. Better than being cocky and confident. A cocky officer was often a dead officer.

They were lead through the house to a large family room. Several people lounged around on the furniture but it was the man standing by the fireplace that had his attention. This was clearly the leader of the Lupins, Jason Steele. He turned to face them when they entered the room. “Leave us.”

The other gang members filed out, leaving just Steele, Lassiter and Michaels. Lassiter was surprised Steele hadn't kept the requisite thug around 'for protection' but his cocky attitude told him the man didn't think he had anything to worry about from the two of them.

Lassiter made a show of looking around the room. “Nice place. Not quite the dump I was picturing a gang of murderous scum to inhabit.” Indeed, the furniture, while shabby, was clean and there was no garbage lying around. He had seen frat houses that looked worse.

“I don't hold with wallowing in filth and I keep my men to the same standards,” Steele said.

“You still have a ways to go with hygiene,” Lassiter taunted, remembering the man at the door.

Steele shrugged. “Some habits are hard to break and some men never learn the importance of smell. But that is not why you are here.” He gestured towards the couch. “Please, have a seat.”

“We're fine standing,” Lassiter said. “This won't take long.”

Steele waved a hand. “Well then, better get started.”

“We're on to you,” Lassiter said bluntly. “We know you are responsible for the deaths of five people in the last six weeks.”

Steele raised an eyebrow. “If you have such proof, why are you not here to arrest me?”

Lassiter gritted his teeth. “I don't need proof to know you are a murdering scumbag. We had your man Baker.”

Steele sighed. “Baker had many problems, including his drug use. I kicked him out when he started to run with the wrong sorts of people.” He shrugged. “Too bad he didn't live long enough to tell you that himself.”

Lassiter narrowed his eyes. It was a nice story but there was no way to prove it either way. His gut told him this guy knew exactly what Baker was doing and that he condoned the attacks. “If we questioned your men, they would say the same?”

“Of course.” Steele spread his hands. “I promise I did not kill any of those people. I have nothing to hide.”

Lassiter guessed that was partially true. He doubted Steele had personally been involved in the murders. Still, he did not like the man's cocky attitude. He took a step forward, getting right in Steele's face. “I will find proof you were behind this and I will take you down.”

Steele smirked. “I'd like to see you try.” He raised his voice. “Claw!” He kept his eyes on Lassiter as the man who had escorted them in entered the room. “See the officers out. We're done here.”

Michaels was standing anxiously near the door, clearly ready to leave. Lassiter stared Steele down another moment before turning away. He felt very uncomfortable turning his back on the man but he forced himself not to show it.

As they were escorted out, Lassiter caught a glimpse of gray fur as they passed an open doorway. A large dog? Or a wolf? Either way, it cemented in Lassiter's mind that these were the people responsible.

Steele's men watched them until they got in the car and drove away. Only then did Lassiter relax and let out a deep breath. “You okay?” he asked Michaels.

“Yeah.” Michaels shuddered. “That was intense. Those guys are some serious bad asses.”

“Agreed.” He glanced over at the officer. “I need a couple officers willing to stake out their place. Keep an eye on whose comes and goes and if you see any dogs or wolves on the premises.”

Michaels nodded. “You can count on me.”

Lassiter grunted. “Good. I speak with Dobson about setting up a schedule.” And make sure everyone pairs up, just in case. For all his politeness, Steele was dangerous and they would all have to tread carefully while they worked to take him down.

________________________________

Steele waited until both officers had left before calling Admiral out of the shadows. “What do you think?”

“I think the kid was ready to piss himself,” Admiral said bluntly. “The detective on the other hand may be a problem.”

“I agree.” Steele thought for a moment. “Keep an eye on both of them but especially the detective. If they start getting too close, we may have to deal with them.”

“Is that wise?” Admiral asked. “An attack on a police officer will only bring more attention to us. The detective is also on friendly terms with Spencer, which could prove problematic if he decides to join us.”

Steele glared at him. “Are you questioning me?”

Admiral bowed his head. “No, Alpha.”

“Good. Get on it,” Steele said. “And find out how Minx is doing with Spencer.” The beta quickly left and Steele sighed. Admiral was his most trusted and loyal pack member but he tended to question his decisions because of his previous relationship with Steele's father. It was something he had been hoping the beta would drop once he established the new pack but he looked like he would have to deal with it. Publicly, so no other pack member would try to do the same. But that would have to wait until they had the plans in place for Spencer. He was not going to let the mongrels that called themselves the Lockwood pack steal such a unique find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when I'll have more of this story up. I've been concentrating on a novel I'm writing, an m/m werewolf romance. I'll try to get back to this before too long but I won't make any promises.


End file.
